


Drift Compatible

by Kurizumaru



Category: Pacific Rim (2013), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, M/M, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-20 23:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6030178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurizumaru/pseuds/Kurizumaru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At age 15, Dean enlists in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps Academy. He's not expecting to make friends. He just wants revenge for the Kaiju ripping his family apart. He'll do whatever it takes to become a Ranger and a Jaeger Pilot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is fusion fic. That means mostly Supernatural Characters in the Pacific Rim universe. The appearance by Stacker Pentecost is mostly just a cameo. The Academy experience in my fic will be different from what is up on the Pacific Rim Wiki. Hopefully, it's just as enjoyable though. 
> 
> I will be posting this chapter by chapter about once a week. (That's my goal anyway.) Tags and rating will be adjusted/updated as necessary.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

The Winchester family is having breakfast. 12 year old Dean is picking on his baby brother, 8 year old Sam. John sits hidden behind the sports section of the paper and Mary admonishes Dean about picking on his little brother when he should be protecting him. All-in-all, just an average Saturday morning for the Winchesters.

As often happens in San Francisco, the ground begins to tremble shortly after 8am. The trembling quickly escalates to a massive earthquake. The DVD case falls over. The TV falls right off the wall. The boys scream, and John and Mary make them get under the table for safety. The earthquake ends about a minute after it started. Little did they, or anyone, know that this was just the beginning.

Shortly before noon the ground trembles again. This time the trembling is not as intense, and only comes in very short bursts. Aftershocks are common after major earthquakes, but these aren't aftershocks. They feel different. If there's any doubt about that, it's quickly dispelled when an earsplitting shriek rings out over the whole city. Emergency sirens blare and from the living room window, they can just make out a monster, with a large, bladed head and an orange glow emanating from its mouth, rending the Golden Gate Bridge in two.

“Get to the basement!” John roars at his family, desperate to get them somewhere safe. The basement of the house is finished, furnished, and, thanks to the previous owner, well reinforced into a kind of bomb shelter. They keep canned foods and bottled water there. Enough for a few weeks at the least. The shaking continues. The monster stomping through the city. It's clear from the sounds that the military has been mobilized and is attacking the thing. If the Winchesters weren't in their fortified basement, they'd surely be dead. Eventually, the sounds of battle migrate away from where they live. From the sounds of it, the monster is heading East, away from San Francisco and across the bay, toward Oakland.

John manages to find a small, battery operated radio and tunes into an AM station reporting news about the monster. After about two hours, the station goes dead. Their last bit was an account about how a formation of fighter jets were escorting a bomber toward the beast. As the station goes dead, a rumbling deeper and faster than anything the monster has made pulses over their heads. A sound of crashing and shattering glass following it.

Sam screams, and Dean holds him tight. John reaches for Mary's hand and they look at each other with wide eyes. That can't have been what they think it was.

An emergency broadcast comes on advising every one within 30 miles to stay indoors because the military has just detonated a nuclear warhead on the beast. There is nuclear radiation contamination and if you haven't evacuated yet to stay inside to prevent exposure. This confirms that John and Mary's suspicions were right.

Shortly after that announcement, the radio goes dead again. John turns it off to conserve the battery. John and Mary do the best they can to make their boys comfortable and keep them entertained while they stay put.

Each day, John checks the radio for more news and it's six days later that they announce that the monster is dead. They cheer and hold each other. They forget all about the warning not to go outside and work their way out of the basement. They push debris out of their way and make their way outside. That was the biggest mistake they could have made.

Several hours after emerging from their destroyed home, they're picked up by the military and taken to a base for decontamination and debriefing. They're sent to a refugee camp in Oregon and finally relocated there permanently.

About a year and a half later, Mary and Sam are diagnosed with two different kinds of cancer. Mary with stage three breast cancer. Sam with stage two pancreatic cancer. Both had been weak and getting weaker for months. The diagnoses are no surprise. What is a surprise, is that those two are the only ones in the family to get sick as a result of the radiation exposure. At least, as of now.

14 year old Dean is still hopeful and optimistic even though the doctors aren't nearly so.

Sunday, December 13, 2015 is the worst day of Dean's short life to this point. Mary lies in her hospital bed, pain wracking every single inch of her body. She's on a morphine drip to keep her pain under control, but it's not enough. Sam's hospital bed is in the same room, moved close to Mary's. John and Dean are sitting at the foot of each bed, John at Mary's and Dean at Sam's.

Knowing it's coming doesn't make it easier. Mary reaches out for her boys, squeezes Sam's hand and kisses Dean's forehead and holds John's hand. “I love you all. Never forget that,” She whispers softly with her last breath.

Dean will never forget the way she slumps as the life fades from her. He cries and holds Sam and cries some more, because suddenly, he's not so optimistic anymore. He just lost his mom, and his little brother isn't going to be far behind.

A little under five months later, Sam gets a clean enough bill of health to go home. He still needs treatments, but he's able to go home. He's all smiles and clings to Dean like a sticker for a week. Dean's more than happy to play with him. He's just happy he's alive.

By now, everybody knows that the Kaiju that hit San Francisco wasn't a single event. John blames the Kaiju for Mary's death and Sam's sickness and gets a job with the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. He's not able to pilot, but he gets a job in support. He helps build the armor for the Jaegers.

At 15, Dean is now old enough to enroll in the Ranger Academy in preparation to become a pilot. John demands he do so, and Dean's fine with that. He's a good soldier and he wants to fight the monsters that killed his mother and made his kid brother so sick. The Academy is based in Japan, but the cadets and staff will be from every country that touches the Pacific Ocean.

Mid August that same year, Dean ships out for Japan. John is stoic and straight faced as always. Sam is not. Sam is crying big tears and holding tight to Dean. Dean just hugs Sam and explains that he needs to go away so he can help save the world. Sam seems a little less broken up after that.

It's really tough for Dean to board the plane that will take him away from his family, but he knows he needs to do this. Besides, he'll be able to come back during holiday breaks. He tells Sam to call him if he needs anything and then boards the plane that will take him to the academy. From now on, his life is going to be very different.

   



	2. The Start of Classes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens in the first 3 months at the Academy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad about leaving you all with that chapter of exposition and nothing else. So this week, you get two chapters. Enjoy.

Dean's plane lands on a base in Kyoto on a Sunday. Several new Mark-2 Jaegers are being built in the Manufacturing facility on the base and they'll be shipped to the Tokyo Shatterdome when both the Shatterdome and Jaegers are complete and have pilots. As the plane lands, he gets a little bit of a look at them, well, the frames that are nearly completed.

He's taken by bus to the dorm he'll be staying in during the school year. His roommate hasn't arrived yet, so Dean sets up his things in the small room on the left side. He has about a week to get settled and buy his supplies for classes. He reads through the pamphlet he received when he enlisted again. This is everything he wants, everything he needs to get rid of this gnawing feeling in his gut that he should have been stronger on that day.

He decides to get some rest and go shopping for his supplies the next day at the base store. He dreams of what he thinks his classes will be like that night. He dreams of meeting a pretty girl who will be his co-pilot and he dreams about killing his first Kaiju. But there's a long road in front of him to get there.

In the morning, he fixes his bunk, dresses in clean clothes, and heads to the shop to get everything from his books to his uniforms. After taking his things back to his dorm and changing into one of his uniforms, he heads over to the academy building to take a look around. This is where he'll study everything from Kaiju Biology to Combat Techniques to Jaeger Technology and Drift Compatibility. There's a sense of awe he feels as he looks around the building, which is far from empty. Upperclassmen are there, as are most of the teachers, working on various things or taking a run at the Jaeger Combat Simulator.

Dean's itching to give the simulator a try, but he's a long way off from being able to do that yet. Before he can do that, he has to find out if he's drift compatible and who his co-pilot will be and classes haven't even begun. Instead, he moves on and finds himself in the courtyard. It's so peaceful, so he sits under one of the trees and before he knows it, he's nodding off.

It must be a few hours later when another cadet walks by and wakes him. “Hey, you gotta get up. It's almost lunch time, and if they see you slacking off like this, they might throw you out,” he explains as he shakes one of Dean's shoulders.

Eyes as blue as the ocean. Hair as dark as night. Skin pale and soft as moonlight. All of these perfect traits on another guy. Dean sits up and blinks the sleep out of his eyes. “Huh?” He queries as eloquently as a rock.

The other boy stands up and offers Dean a hand. “C'mon. It's nearly lunch time. Let's go get some food.” He smiles and tilts his head, hoping that they might be friends.

Dean, isn't so happy about being woken up like that. He sighs and takes the offered hand though. “Sure, food is always good.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets and follows the other guy to a burger truck. At least he has good taste. “I'm Dean,” He introduces himself after ordering some food and a drink. “Looks like we'll be in the same year.” He observes, looking over the other boy's uniform.

“Castiel,” comes the reply. “Yeah, we will. I can't wait to start.” He leans against the truck and smiles. “Good thing I found you before any of the instructors. They don't look at stuff like that very kindly here.”

“You seem to know a lot about it for just starting this year too,” Dean quips, not afraid of scaring this Castiel off. He's not here to make friends or to get all buddy buddy with anyone. He'll be nice, but he has a job to do, and he's gonna do it.

Castiel looks down and nods. “Yeah, well, I'm the youngest of six and the fourth to go to the Academy.” He shrugs. “My big brothers are already pilots. So, I've heard a lot about it.”

“Oh, okay then. I'm the first in my family to go to the Academy. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to be a pilot though,” He makes a fist with the hand that's not in his pocket and looks down, “No matter what it takes.”

There's probably a story there, but Castiel figures he'll share when he's ready. “Well, I think that's most of the cadets' dream when they join.” He picks up his food as his order number is called. “So you're American too? Or maybe Canadian?”

Dean's order is up next and after grabbing it, he follows Castiel to a shady table. “Yeah. From Oregon by way of California.” He looks down. “I was in San Francisco.” He shakes his head. “I saw Trespasser rip the Golden Gate Bridge in two.” He sighs and starts to unwrap his burger. “It killed my mother, and now I'm gonna kill them.” He hadn't been planning on divulging so much to someone he just met, but there it was. He must have been so full of emotions from the experience that he couldn't hold it back anymore.

“Oh,” Castiel comments softly. “I'm sorry to hear that. I guess that explains why you're here.” He starts to unwrap his own burger and inhales the mouth watering scent. “My Dad helped to design the Jaegers and the PONS system, y'know the head gear that allows the pilots to drift. I guess that's what got me interested in piloting.” A smile creeps across Castiel's lips that he can't help. He feels like he may have found a friend in Dean.

A week later is the opening ceremony for the incoming class. The introductory speech is given by Stacker Pentecost, recently retired top Jaeger Pilot. During his speech, he announces that he'll be taking over Pilot training for the top candidates. That excites Dean. That means that if he can become a top candidate, he can get training from one of the most successful pilots in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps.

The cadets are released after the opening ceremony and sent on their way. Dean heads back to his dorm to change out of his dress uniform and into his standard uniform. He runs into his roommate, Ash. Ash is there to learn programming for the Jaegers and Kaiju biology. He doesn't want to become a pilot, but be pilot support.

Dean makes friendly conversation with Ash while he changes and then heads out to find Castiel. They've been spending a lot of time hanging out and getting to know one another over the last week. They just click as friends which isn't what he came here for, but is a nice surprise.

“Hey, Cas, let's go get some burgers and chat and compare our schedules.” They'd only received their schedules just before the opening ceremony. Dean's actually smiling as he shows up at Castiel's dorm room and drags him off to lunch. “C'mon. I'm hungry.”

And Castiel lets himself be dragged out. He really enjoys spending time with Dean. “Sure, okay, just let me get my balance!” He stammers as he trips over his feet while being pulled along the corridor.

Dean lets him go and looks down a little sheepishly. “Yeah, okay. C'mon though.”

Over lunch, Dean and Castiel find out that they have all their classes together which is great. They're both aiming to be pilots after all.

Three months after the opening ceremony, they finally have testing to see if they're drift compatible with any of their class mates. Mr. Singer oversees their duels. They use hand-to-hand combat to feel a connection or a compatibility in the dialogue of the duel.

“Alright, cadets,” The grumpy instructor beings, “Partner up. I'll rotate you if I don't think your duel is being productive.”

Dean looks over at Cas and smiles. “Wanna partner up?” Dean figures if he's gonna have chemistry with anyone in class, it's going to be with his one friend.

They stand about five feet apart and bow to one another. Dean takes a strong, solid stance and keeps his hands up. Castiel takes a stance that puts him at an angle to Dean instead of head on. He also keeps his hands up. Castiel is the first to make a move, darting in and making a quick jab at Dean's face.

Dean parries and steps in to shove Castiel back. Castiel uses his angular stance to spin and elbow Dean in the back of the neck. But Dean ducks and goes for a grapple that Castiel nimbly avoids.

This back and forth goes on for several minutes in an odd sort of dance. It's a definite sign of compatibility. By the end of class, most of their classmates are watching them, as is Mr. Singer. They're so involved in their sparring that they don't even notice until Mr. Singer steps in and stops them. “Alright, ya idjits. That's enough.” He looks up at the clock. “I'm pretty sure you ladies are drift compatible. I recommend that you spend more time together, get to know each other better, and build up that connection you have.”

They bow to one another and then head out to the showers. Dean had always heard that if pilots weren't family, they had some other sort of deep connection. Most pilots are family or spouses or at least in a relationship. Few others are just capable of not carrying anything into the drift with them. But that's the reason that Dean always figured he'd have a female co-pilot. He's okay with this connection he has with Cas though.

Castiel wonders if they can deepen this bond though. “Hey, Dean, do you want to hang out like Mr. Singer suggested?” He tilts his head and asks Dean over the shower dividers. “We can get pizza and riff on cheesy movies. Or we could go spar some more? Or go off base and have some fun?”

Dean pauses in the shower and thinks about it for a moment. “Hmm, sure. Don't wanna go off base. Pizza and movies sounds good though. Have any in mind?”

They end up watching silly 70's B horror movies and riffing them, calling who is gonna die first or in which order and having a great time. It's not exactly what Castiel was hoping for, but it's good anyway. A week or so later they're headed home for the holidays. They're on the same flight to Seattle, but there they split ways.

“So, I guess I'll see you after the holidays, Cas. I hope you have fun with your family,” he says as he hefts his bag up on his shoulder.

Castiel nods and sighs. “I'll have my phone on me. You can talk and text to me if you want.” He smiles and takes a deep breath. “Hey, Dean?”

Dean turns to face Castiel, “Yeah?”

Castiel surges forward and kisses Dean and then turns and runs off toward his next gate.

Dean ends up just standing there stunned for a moment. He couldn't even react. Castiel had moved too fast and he didn't see that coming.

It's all he can do to get on his bus to head home to Portland. There's a nagging feeling in his chest that makes him think that he should go find Cas, confront him about it, but he doesn't. He can't make himself do it. Instead, he heads home for the holidays.

 


	3. Holidays and Returning to the Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama over the holidays.

The holidays were good, sad, but good for Dean. This time of year is hard on all of them. Last year, they didn't even celebrate. This year, they're having a small celebration, just the three of them. They have dinner and open a few presents each. Dean gets a new phone, and Sam gets a laptop. Sam and Dean got John a new electric shaver since his last one had given up the ghost. It's not much, but it's something.

Dinner is nice and they all enjoy it. Dean cooked and it turned out pretty well. It's just nice to be home with his family. During his visit, he finds out that Sam has been told he's in remission. That's fantastic news.

That night, Dean stays up late watching movies with Sam. As they're turning off the TV, a special news report filters across the channel that the TV was set on to use the blu ray player. Another Kaiju attack has hit Victoria Harbour, just outside of Hong Kong. This isn't the second Kaiju to target Hong Kong in a row. They show footage of a Jaeger, Lucky Seven, fighting with the Kaiju. Dean can't help but watch, enraptured by the battle. Sam looks on worried. It looks like an intense battle.

“Dean? Are you gonna be one of those pilots one day?” He asks, voice shaking and eyes wide.

As soon as Dean looks over at Sam his heart breaks a little. “Sammy, It's okay. Yeah, I want to do that one day. But those pilots are the best. They'll beat it, and one day, that'll be me. Don't worry. I promise it's safe. Those Jaegers are a lot tougher than they look and more than tough enough to take on the Kaiju.” He pulls him into a strong hug and strokes his back and hair.

“Okay, Dean. Just promise you'll always come back. I can't lose you too,” He sobs softly, eyes filling with tears.

“I promise, Sammy. I'll always come home,” He strokes Sam's back and kisses his hair. “C'mon, let's get to bed. It's late.” He flicks off the TV and helps Sam get into bed and tucks him in. “Sleep well, buddy.”

That night, Dean dreams of fighting a Kaiju in a Jaeger, Castiel at his side. Together they take down a massive beast with the head of a swordfish, and the body of a shark with arms and legs and a huge sail fin on its back. Absurd, sure, but so are the Kaiju.

Together they beat the thing down and kill it, much like Dean had watched Lucky Seven do on the news. Dean wakes the next morning content and even more confused than that day at the airport. Is Castiel in love with him? He doesn't really feel the same way. For him, it's just a deep connection like the kind he has with his brother, just different because Castiel isn't family. He brushes his fingertips over his lips, remembering the kiss. He's not the kind of guy to freak out about something like that, hell, he's not even angry. He just doesn't know how to handle this or what to do about it.

He heads down to the kitchen and makes breakfast for everyone. It's nothing fancy, just eggs and waffles and bacon. But soon enough, the whole family is together for breakfast. John says he has to go back to work, but Dean doesn't go back to the academy until the new year. Sam, however, has plans with some friends from his school. That leaves Dean alone after breakfast.

He watches some TV, works on an assignment that's due when he gets back, and then just sits there staring at his phone. He has Castiel's number, so why doesn't he just call him or text him?

It's a few minutes before Dean works up his courage and shoots a text to Cas. “Hey, how's your holiday vacation going? I think we need to talk when you have time.” He doesn't expect a response any time soon, but he's hoping for one.

He's a little disappointed when he doesn't get one that day, but distracts himself with video games and homework.

Castiel is dealing with a lot of family drama on his end. His brothers that are pilots can't come home since they're on active duty and assigned over seas. His sister is still mad at him for even enrolling at the academy. However, the brother that didn't become a pilot is a scientist and is more than happy to help Castiel with his homework. He's also the only family member he feels like he can confide in.

After a tense family dinner, Castiel heads up to Gabriel's room and knocks on the door. “Gabe? Can I talk to you for a few?”

Gabriel throws his door open and welcomes Castiel into his room. “Sure thing, little bro! Want some candy?” He gestures to a bag of assorted sweets that lies open on his desk. There is everything from hard candy to chocolates and taffy.Shaking his head and sitting on the edge of Gabriel's bed, he sighs heavily. “No, thanks. I,” he pauses and then looks over at his brother. “I just need to talk. I think I screwed up.”

“Aw, I'm sure it can't be that bad. Tell me what happened,” Gabriel comments as he sits in his desk chair and spins around to face Cas with a lollipop in his mouth.

Castiel explains about the compatibility training and how he feels such a deep connection with Dean. Dean, who is all long bowlegs, sandy hair, green eyes, and freckles with an amazing sense of duty and determination. His cheeks turn just a little pink when he thinks about him.

“I just thought we had something,” He starts summarizing at the end of his explanation. “And then I kissed him in the airport before flying home.” He sighs heavily, feeling like a weight has been lifted off of his chest.

Gabriel winces, “Oh, I see. It sounds like you may have pushed things too far and jumped the gun. Do you even know this Dean's views on homosexuality? Do you know how he feels about a guy kissing him? Baby bro, you might not have ruined it, but maybe an apology, or reaching out may be in order.” He spins around in his chair and grabs another lollipop and holds it out to Castiel. “Sure you don't want one?”

Shaking his head, Castiel declines again. “No. Thanks, though, for the advice.” He nods. His brother always knows how best to help him, even if he is a bit harsh about it. “I'm gonna head to bed. See you in the morning, Gabe.”

That night he dreams about Dean, about his freckles and green eyes and lightly tanned skin in a decidedly unprofessional setting. After waking up, he heads to the kitchen to get himself some coffee and a bagel for breakfast. He decides to go for a run in the woods on his family's land. They own a large plot outside of Santa Barbara, California. They live pretty much on the side of a mountain, so it's a good place to run.

He heads out and takes his GPS tracker with him. He leaves his phone at home though. It rarely works out there anyway. He's gone out and run some of the paths before. He's been doing it since he was 12. But he takes the GPS anyway as a safety precaution. He can set it to send an alert home if anything happens or he gets lost.

The whole day passes while he's out running, and looking at various bits of nature. He saw some deer, a fox, and some snakes. Of course, he has to be careful of all of those. Before he realizes it, the sun is going down and he needs to head home. With the tracker, it's easy enough to find his way back. He gets in and immediately gets a shower. When he comes back to the kitchen, it's just to grab some food and then he heads to his room. Before he even checks his phone, he falls asleep. He over worked himself today.

The next morning, he finally looks at his phone and goes pale. “Oh my god.” He swallows hard and frantically texts Dean back. “I'm so sorry, I didn't even see this until just now. Call me when you get a chance? We can talk.”

Dean wakes up to his phone buzzing near his head. He sleeps with his phone near him. It's a hell of a wake up call and makes him grumpy. He shoots back a reply, “Never mind. Changed my mind. Have a good holiday.”

He drops his phone back onto his bed and rolls over. He probably should have thought a bit harder about that. What he's just done could ruin whatever drift compatibility he might have with Castiel, but if he can ignore him for a whole day, Dean can ignore him until they go back to the academy.

Speaking of, he grabs his laptop and gets online to change his flight back and move it up a few days. This way he won't have to see Castiel any sooner than he needs to. They had planned to go back on the same flight, but now Dean's changing that.

The rest of his vacation passes without anymore excitement.

Castiel's expression darkens when he sees Dean's reply. Sure, he didn't reply for a day, but it was an honest mistake. He types into his phone, “I'm sorry.” and just as he's about to send it, Gabriel barges into his room. “Baby Bro! Where'd you disappear to yesterday?”

“I just went for a run. Lost track of time,” He answers plainly, voice flat and void of emotion. That's something that worries Gabriel.

He sits down on Castiel's bed next to his brother. “I know that voice. What happened?” He faces Castiel and forces him to look at him.

Castiel just shakes his head and hands Gabriel his phone. It takes him a moment to look over it, but then he nods, understanding. “I see, so you ignored him for a day, and he gets all pissy. I can't say I blame him, but it is kind of immature. This sounds like something you'll need to fix in person.”

He pats Castiel on the back. “Look, everything can be fixed. This is nothing. You'll get past it, and if you really like him, then it'll work out. Have some faith in yourself.”

Unsure of himself and the advice his brother has just given him, Castiel just nods and puts his phone down. “I should go get some breakfast.”

The rest of his vacation is filled with family drama and Castiel trying to find places to hide so he won't have to deal with his family. He's actually looking forward to going back to the Academy so he can see Dean on the flight. The disappointment he feels when he can't find Dean on his flight weights heavily on him. He's visibly down when his plane lands on the base and he heads to his dorm room to collapse and take a nap. If Dean is avoiding him, he'll let him have his space.

Having gotten back a few days early, Dean is finishing up his assignments and getting ready for classes to start back up. He's anxious to get back into things. He's not looking forward to seeing Castiel though. He doesn't want to apologize, but he knows that it's the right thing to do. It's what a man would do; step up and take responsibility.

When he's sure that Castiel's flight has landed and given him enough time to get back to his dorm, Dean heads over to see him. He knocks loudly and leans against the door frame while he waits for Castiel or his roommate, Zeke, to open the door. What he gets is a muffled, and mumbled, “Zeke's not here.” through the door.

“Good thing I'm not here to see Zeke then,” He quips back. “It's Dean, Cas. Open up.”

For his part, Castiel is dreading this. He doesn't know how broken things are between them. He doesn't know if it can be fixed, but Dean doesn't sound angry. So, Castiel gets up and opens the door. “Fine, come on in,” He sighs in exasperation and gestures into the small room.

“Thanks,” Dean replies more cheerfully, and steps into the room, sitting at Castiel's desk. “So, I know I was kind of a dick during the holidays. I'm sorry. But man, you owe me a real apology too. We need to talk about this, and you blew me off for a whole day. Do you have any idea how much I had to build myself up to even send that text? Do you have any idea what what you did at the airport did to me?” His voice drops a bit and he looks at Cas showing just how sincere he is.

Castiel sits on his bed and looks down. “No, I'm sorry,” He mutters. “I didn't mean to blow you off. I went running, didn't take my phone because it doesn't work in the mountains, and passed out after I got back. I was out all day. I sent that reply as soon as I saw your text.” He swallows hard and continues. “At the airport,” He trails off and sighs, “look, you know how everyone that pilots these things either has a strong connection with someone else via family or a relationship, or they don't take anything into the drift like Marshal Pentecost. I just,” He pauses and takes a deep breath, “I thought if we had a deeper connection it would be easier for us to drift together.”

At least Dean listens. He's not sure he believes a word of it, but he listens nonetheless. “That's why you kissed me?” He shakes his head. “Man, I just don't see it.” It's his turn to look away from embarrassment. “I mean, sure, we're friends, but that's it. I don't dig guys like that. Sorry.” Never mind that he's been thinking about Castiel pretty much non-stop since he got back to Japan. “So, I mean, we're good, right? You won't do that again, and we can still be friends?”

Relief floods over Castiel with Dean's offer. “Yeah, of course. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Can we still work on our drift compatibility? I mean, I don't want to push you or anything, but we can spend time together and talk and get to know one another better as friends, right? Maybe work on our sparring and practice drifting when we get to that point?”

Dean nods. “Sure, that sounds good, Cas. So, were you taking a nap or something? Maybe we can go hang out now?” That all works perfectly for Dean. The fact that Castiel is the one offering that makes it better than if he'd asked it. He doesn't want to hurt Cas, but he needs to keep his eye on the goal and doesn't need distractions like this fight was.

They do end up hanging out, and things go well for both of them when classes start up again. Their classes pretty much consume them for the next five months. At the end of their first year in the academy, they have to choose what their goal is after graduation in two years. It's an easy answer for Dean and Castiel to choose Jaeger Pilot. That will mean extra training after graduation, but the academy will have prepared them for most of the pilot specific training.

The end of the year also brings drift trials for those aiming to become pilots. Mr. Singer hands in all the pairs, or sometimes triplets, of cadets with the best drift compatibility and they're called into a lab one set at a time. There's a bit of buzz around Dean and Castiel since many of their classmates expect them to be naturals at drifting since they have such good compatibility.

When they're called in and strapped into the chairs, they're warned that they might see glimpses of each other's lives and asked if they're okay with that. Dean agrees immediately. Castiel takes a moment, but also agrees. If Dean's going to be in his head, he's going to know how he feels about him anyway. They're warned about the Random Access Brain Impulse Triggers (also known as RABIT) and told to stay focused on the now and not chase the RABIT.

The sensation is like no other. Imagine your entire being sucked through a straw, tossed into a blender, and set on puree with someone else's consciousness. It's not painful, but it is messy and confusing. Feelings bleed from one to the other. Memories that aren't your own play in your head like they are your own. But the connection itself is rather enticing. It's like you're more than one person at a time and yet, both one person at the same time.

“Dean?” Castiel asks nervously, softly. “How are you doing?” He's hoping that the way he feels about Dean isn't bleeding through too strongly. That would be terribly distracting for Dean.

“Yeah, I'm,” he pauses and swallows. “I'm fine, Cas.” In fact, for the first time, Dean understands what it feels like to be heartbroken and in love at the same time. It hurts and his heart aches for Cas.

After only a few moments, their connection is shut off and they leave the drift. Dean can't unfeel that sensation though. He can't make his heart stop hurting for Cas, but he knows how he feels about it. It would just be a distraction. He can't do it. He can't give Castiel what he's yearning for.

They don't speak about it. They both know now. They just don't acknowledge it. That hurts Castiel more than he was expecting. However, he doesn't have to worry about it long before Summer break is on them and they're ready to head home again.

“So this time, when I text you, you'll answer, right?” Dean asks, teasing Cas as they get on their plane back to the States. “And we'll talk and game online, right?” They'd started playing an online game together recently and found they worked really well together (naturally) on it.

“Yeah. Promise,” Cas answers rolling his eyes. “Of course, Dean. I wouldn't leave you hanging to go on those quests all by yourself.”

They joke and tease as their flight brings them closer to their families. They're still thick as thieves, but they'll have to talk about those pesky feelings eventually.

 


End file.
